Glossary
UAN: Universal Account Number, explained.
A UAN is a 12-digit number EPFO assigns to a provident fund member once, for life — every employer a person works for links their own member ID to the same UAN, so a job change never means a new, orphaned PF account.
Last verified 23 October 2026. research/payroll-india-2026.md §2.5 (ECR field layout).
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 12 digits, assigned once per person, for life |
| Who assigns it | EPFO, through the employer at the time of the first PF-covered employment |
| What it links | Every employer's own Member ID for that person, across every job change |
| Where it appears | The monthly ECR file (one row per member, keyed by UAN) |
Worth knowing
- A UAN itself is not a bank account or a balance — it's the index that keeps a person's EPF history continuous across employers.
- An employee carries the same UAN for life; only the underlying Member ID (tied to a specific employer) changes with each new job.
FAQ
UAN: Universal Account Number, explained
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Does an employee need a new UAN at a new job?
No — the same UAN is used; the new employer links its own Member ID to it, and KYC (Aadhaar, bank, PAN) is confirmed against the existing UAN.
What happens if someone never had a UAN before?
Their first EPF-covered employer generates one, through the EPFO portal, at the start of that employment.
See Comriq People apply this.
Dated rules, read in words on every payslip.